Results tagged ‘ rundown ’

National rookie shortstop Danny Espinosa made a costly error
in the first inning that ultimately led to two Mets runs. This made him mad.
And when Danny Espinosa gets mad, he hits two homers with six RBIs! Espinosa
now has three homers and two doubles while batting .563 (9-for-16) since his
callup with the Nats. The highly regarded infielder made a big leap in the
power department this year in the Minors with 22 taters to go along with 25 steals
between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse, and I have to think the Nats
give this promising youngster free reign with ample at-bats the rest of the
way. There’s little reason not to own him down the stretch.

Josh Hamilton –
Said his bruised left ribcage is showing signs of improvement. Considered
day-to-day but I have to think he misses at least 4-5 games.

Justin Upton –
Missed his sixth straight game with a left shoulder injury, and it doesn’t seem
like manager Kirk Gibson has any idea when his star outfielder will be back.
And if Gibby doesn’t know, how am I supposed to?

Mike Stanton (3-for-5,
HR, 3 RBIs) – Has gone deep twice in four starts and now has 11 homers with 24 RBIs
since the All-Star break.Watch me spend
a fifth-round pick on him in next year’s drafts.

Aaron Hill (2-for-4,
HR, 2 RBIs) – Now has four homers and nine RBIs over his last seven games.
Yeah, I dropped him last week.

Adalberto Mendez
(W, 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 K vs. PHI) – Not a bad Major League debut, except
for the fact he was yanked early after he pulled up with a right quad strain
while running to first base on his first big league hit. The 28-year-old righty
posted a 3.98 ERA and 88/41 K/BB ratio over 86 innings between Double-A and
Triple-A this season and is worth a look in NL-only squads assuming his quad is
OK.

Koji Uehara (SV,
IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K) – Is now 7-for-7 in save opportunities since first
taking over the role on August 21. He now owns a stellar 2.18 ERA and 1.03 WHIP
with 36 Ks in 33 innings on the year, and needs to be owned everywhere.

Tommy Hunter (L,
7 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 4 K vs. TOR) – If you’ve been chugging Hunter out there
for every one of his starts, believing that his 12-3 record and respectable ERA
were legit, then, well, you deserve this.

Madison Bumgarner (ND,
7 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, BB, 7 K vs. ARI) — The quality start was the ninth in 14
trips to the hill for the young phenom, who lowered his ERA to 3.44. You’ll
want him in your lineup when he faces the Paders next.

Yovani Gallardo (ND,
7 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K vs. STL) — An encouraging outing for Gallardo, who
finally put behind him a forgettable three-start stretch in which he been
rocked for a combined 20 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings. Keep him in your
rotation when he faces the Cubs next.

Corey Hart (3-for-4,
2B, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 3 R, BB) — A huge day for Hart, who has come alive since
suffering through a 1-for-23 slump. The big right fielder has racked up three
consecutive multi-hit efforts, going 7-for-12 with four jacks, two doubles and
six RBIs during the brief surge.

Ian Kennedy (ND,
8 IP, 0 ER, 2H, 2 BB, 6 K vs. SF) – Is now 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 23/6 K/BB
ratio over his last three starts. You know what to do here.

Brandon
Allen knows how to make his presence felt. The beastly 24-year-old first
baseman crushed a grand slam Wednesday night in his first Major League action
of the 2010 campaign with Adam LaRoche sidelined. In
107 games before his callup, Allen batted .261 with 25 homers and 86 RBIs, and
should be a sneaky source of power going forward with the D-backs firmly out of
playoff contention. Here’s what else went down yesterday …

Jimmy
Rollins (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBIs, 3 R, SB) — A vintage effort
in a disappointing season for Rollins, who entered the game on a 6-for-37 skid.
Overall, the former NL MVP is hitting .244 with 42 runs and 35 RBIs this
season.

Clayton
Kershaw (L, 6 IP, 2 ER, 11 K vs. PHI) – He’s 1-4 in his last
seven turns despite a 53/20 K/BB ratio and a 3.15 ERA over 45 2/3 innings in
that span. I Will own Kershaw in every single league next year. He gets the
Padres next.

Neil
Walker (3-for-5, HR) – Six homers last nine games. He
should have been picked up in your league by now.

The Rangers tried to
add a prolific bat to their squad as they gear up for the playoffs. They also
acquired Jeff Francoeur from the Mets. Zing! With Nelson Cruz back from
the DL and David Murphy having proven that he is a capable bat, Frenchy will
have a hard time cracking the lineup consistently, all but making him an
afterthought in fantasy circles. Then again, his .237-11-43 line with a .293
OBP already made him an afterthought in fantasy circles.

Ian Kinsler — Expected to return from the DL tonight after
being sidelined since July 29 with a strained left groin. Activate him but
don’t start him. Teach him a lesson and sit him in the corner by himself after
missing so much time and giving so little this year.

Edison Volquez — Optioned to Class A after going 3-2
with a 6.17 ERA and 1.97 (!) WHIP over eight starts. Have to think the move was
mostly made due to ineffectiveness. Can’t also hurt that they wanted to call up
this guy …

Aroldis Chapman — Looked like a virtual unhittable
human cyborg in his debut last night. Reportedly reached 103 on the gun in his
first pitch. Struck out one in one perfect inning. He’ll only be used in the
bullpen this year, but act fast in keeper leagues and set your google alert for
whenever he’s warming up, cause it’s getting hot!

Jose Reyes — Missed his fifth straight game with
his oblique injury. He hasn’t been able to swing a bat without pain. Mum is the
word in Queens about his return, but I’d set the over/under on how many games
he starts this season at 0.5. And I’m leaning towards the under.

Rich Harden — Announced that he is headed back to the
bullpen in favor of Derek Holland. Holland has intrigue but you’re playing
Holland roulette, a less lethal but still dangerous form of Russian
roulette, if you start him in the playoffs.

Jay Bruce — Scratched with pain in his right side
last night. Of course he was, too many good things started happened to him.
Hopefully he’ll be alright but you gotta hope this doesn’t pump the breaks on
his recent tear, as Bruce has gone 8-for-15 with five home runs and eight RBIs
over his last four games.

Troy Tulowitzki/Justin
Upton/Adam LaRoche/Gordon Beckham– All scratched, all considered day-to-day.

Dan Uggla — Missed another game with a groin
injury. Monitor this one, groins injuries not only sound painful, but actually
are!

Jose Bautista (2-for-4, HR, 4 RBIs) — 43 homers and
103 RBIs and has even upped his average to an almost respectable .268
clip.

Edwin Jackson (W, 8 2/3 IP, 3 ER, 7 H, BB, 11 Ks vs. CLE) —
I’m sorry Ms. Jackson, I thought your son’s season would take a turn for the
worse when he got dealt to Chicago. EJax is now 3-0 with a 1.47 ERA and 45/8
strikeouts-to-walks ratio in five starts with the White Sox

Jed Lowrie (2-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs) — Finishes
August batting .288 with 11 extra-base hits, 14 runs and a .912 OPS. I’d
take a flier on him if I needed middle-infield help.

Anibal Sanchez (ND, 7 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 K vs. WAS) —
Has given up two earned runs or fewer in four of his last five starts.Should be
owned everywhere and so should this guy …

Jordan Zimmermann (ND, 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 BB, 9 K vs. FLA) —
Was flat-out dominant and faced the minimum. Should be scooped up everywhere
but could see a lesser workload down the stretch after the whole Strasburg
fiasco.

Yovani Gallardo (L, 5 IP, 8 ER, 9 H, 3 BB, 6 K vs. CIN) — Has
been touched for at least six earned runs in each of his last three starts,
translating to a 12.27 ERA. The Ks are still there, which is nice, but you
gotta at least think twice before throwing him out there in his next start vs.
the Cardinals.

Jon Niese (L, 4 2/3 IP, 8 R (3 ER), 10 H, 2 BB, 6 Ks vs.
ATL) — Has now given up 15 runs in his last two starts (10 1/3 IP). Sports a
14/5 K/BB ratio in that span so I’m not totally jumping ship but he’s certainly
scaring me. Also wouldn’t be surprised if he got shut down early.

Jeff Niemann (L, 5 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 K vs. TOR) — Has
now given up a combined 17 earned runs in just 8 1/3 innings since returning
from the DL. Who wants to bet on Niemann shadily going on the DL and Hellickson
getting called up?

Josh Hamilton (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) — The big news is that he
started at DH because of a where-did-that-come-from knee injury. Keep posted on
this one.

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